The 21^st Critics’ Prize, part of the 24^th edition of the Festival de Jerez, has been awarded to Manuel Liñán for his show ¡Viva!, performed on February 28^th, 2020 at the Villamarta Theater. This prize, which has been jointly organized by the Chair of Flamencology and Folkloric Studies of Jerez and the Regulatory Council of Jerez Wine since 1999, has been awarded by the voting of critics and journalists accredited by the Festival de Jerez who evaluated the various productions performed at the Villamarta Theater.

In this edition, a total of fourteen votes were casted. Five were awarded to Manuel Liñán’s ¡Viva!, four to Marco Flores‘s Rayuela, three to Ballet Nacional de España‘s Invocación, and one each for Antonio Fernández El Farru’s Por un sueño and María Moreno’s De la Concepción.

According to its dossier, ¡Viva! is a show conceived as “a song for the freedom of movement, where the feminine is embraced as its own by the masculine body, where the patterns of gender in a rigidly codified world as flamenco are broken with joy and pleasure, creating new spaces which, although unexplored, seem close to us…”. “It’s our identity, our way to approach a different aesthetic. It’s a personal proposition by each of us”, stated Manuel Liñán on the day he presented his production at the San Ginés Cellar.

Besides Manuel Liñán, bailaores Miguel Ángel Heredia, Manuel Betanzos, Jonathan Miró, Hugo López, Víctor Martín and Daniel Ramos also performed in this show. The cast was completed by the voices of David Carpio and Antonio Campos, the guitar of Francisco Vinuesa, the violin of Víctor Guadiana and the percussion of Kike Terrón.

It’s the second time that this bailaor from Granada has been honored with this prize, as in the year 2016, on occasion of the 20^th Festival de Jerez, he also received this award for his show Reversible.

The Chair of Flamencology and the Regulatory Council wish to thank the support and good-will of all the journalists and critics who each year take part in this award ceremony of the Festival de Jerez.

 

Image above: Manuel Liñán (photo: Javier Fergó – Festival de Jerez)

 

Critics’ Prize awards since 1999

YEAR 1999
Antonio El Pipa (Generaciones)

YEAR 2000
Antonio Márquez (Reencuentros/Después de Carmen)

YEAR 2001
Sara Baras (Juana la Loca)

YEAR 2002
Compañía de Antonio Gades (Fuenteovejuna)

YEAR 2003
Compañía de Javier Latorre (Rinconete y Cortadillo)

YEAR 2004
José de Udaeta (El secreto de las castañuelas)

YEAR 2005
Antonio Márquez (El sombrero de tres picos, Zapateado y Bolero de Ravel)

YEAR 2006
Joaquín Grilo (A Solas)

YEAR 2007
Mercedes Ruiz (Juncá)

YEAR 2008
Mario Maya (Mujeres)

YEAR 2009
Rocío Molina (Oro Viejo)

YEAR 2010
Joaquín Grilo (Leyenda Personal)

YEAR 2011
Mercedes Ruiz (Perspectivas)

YEAR 2012
Marco Flores (De Flamencas)

YEAR 2013
Isabel Bayón (Caprichos del tiempo)

YEAR 2014
Belén Maya (Los Invitados)

YEAR 2015
Israel Galván (Fla.co.men)

YEAR 2016
Manuel Liñán (Reversible)

YEAR 2017
Olga Pericet (La espina que quiso ser flor…)

YEAR 2018
Rafaela Carrasco (Nacida sombra)

YEAR 2019
Rubén Olmo (Horas Contadas)

YEAR 2020
Manuel Liñán (¡Viva!)